Pullback

“I do know somebody who in University lived in a tiny apartment and had a deep freeze in his bedroom… it seemed slightly murdery, but it was just because he liked to buy discount chicken.” In this episode, Kristen and Kyla dive into the ethics of eating locally (it might be more complicated than you think!) Topics: what is the reasoning behind the Eat Local movement; explaining the Slow Food movem...

“That’s typically what taxes are, Kyla. We just don’t apply them to a lot of big companies…” Kristen and Kyla wrap up their discussion on electronics by exploring the complicated story of conflict minerals. Topics: what are conflict minerals; Democratic Republic of the Congo and conflict minerals; The Enough Project; what companies can do; what legislation can do; what you can do. Website: https:/...

"Anybody who can afford a Sphynx cat can also afford to pay somebody to wash their cat's folds for them." Kristen is on vacation, so Kyla takes the opportunity to talk about her new kittens (her favourite subject these days). But is it ethical to keep pets? Topics: mental health, breeding, the history of kitty litter, how to dispose of pet waste, vegan pet food, going waste free, alternatives to k...

"I remember years ago going to an optometrist, and they ask how many hours of screen time I have in a day and at the time I think I sort of sheepishly said like 4 hours, or something like that, knowing it was actually higher. But today if I went it's like… well how many hours am I awake in a day?" In part 2 of the electronics summer series, Kristen and Kyla discuss the impact of the most popular t...

"I'm sure engineers are going to hate that description as well." Kristen and Kyla explore the ethics of consumer electronics, starting with a deep dive into human rights. Topics: the history of electronics; what's in a computer; supply chains; factory working conditions. Website: https://www.pullback.org/research/electronics Twitter: https://twitter.com/PullbackPodcast Instagram: https://www.insta...

“I don’t do everything… I solemnly swear to never ice climb again in my life.” In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Bianca Vong to talk about ethics and the outdoors! Topics: the seven principles of leave no trace; ten essential items for a safe and successful outdoor trip; strategies for finding ethical outdoor gear; accessibility and the outdoors. Website: https://www.pullback.org/res...

Are coffee pod machines good for the environment? In this episode, Kristen and Kyla talk about everyone’s favourite work drug: coffee. Topics: how coffee is made; coffee history; the coffee industry; working conditions on coffee farms; what is a fair price for coffee; the environment and coffee growing, brewing, packaging, and accompaniments; what you can do. Website: https://www.pullback.org/rese...

In this episode, Kristen and Kyla are joined by activist Robert Miller for a special May Day episode reflecting on the state of the labour movement. Topics: problems and challenges; successes and promising starts; the future of labour; and what you can do. Website: https://www.pullback.org/research/mayday Twitter: https://twitter.com/PullbackPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pullbackpod...

Kristen and Kyla are joined by vegan climate activist Robert Miller to discuss the controversial Netflix documentary Seaspiracy. Robbie recommends Vegan Mob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Officialveganmob/ Cheap Lazy Vegan on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEjkioV3LO_OIUaSWRxFZ3A tyrathetaurus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tyrathetaurus And support the Sea Shepherds! https://...

"Whoa. I had not thought about that. Very dystopian." Kristen and Kyla stop to smell the roses, only to find the ones from the Netherlands don't smell like anything anymore. Listen in for a discussion on the cut flowers industry! Topics: Dutch flower auctions; worker's rights; greenhouses vs. airplanes; ethical certifications; bursting the tulip bulb trading bubble. Website: https://www.pullback.o...

In this episode, Kristen talks plastic free periods with Jasmine Tribe, Campaign Manager of City to Sea’s Plastic Free Periods campaign. City to Sea is an environmental nonprofit working to stop plastic pollution. Topics: the Plastic Free Periods campaign, period products and plastic pollution, why you shouldn’t flush period products, reusable alternatives, the Rethink Periods program, period pove...

“I always feel so metal holding a chalice of my own blood.“ In this episode, Kyla and Kristen open up a discussion about menstruation, period stigma, and a range of reusable period products. Topics: period positivity, period poverty, the free bleeding movement, menstruation and the environment, plastic free period products (plastic free tampons, menstrual cups, reusable pads, period underwear). We...

This is a special episode on COVID-19’s impacts and the prospects for a just recovery, created in partnership with PhiLab, the Canadian Philanthropy Partnership Research Network. Kristen and Kyla are joined by Steven Ayer to discuss the Toronto Fallout Report . Steve is the President of Common Good Strategies. He is also the lead researcher and author of the Toronto Foundation’s Vital Signs Report...

Would you buy lab-grown meat if you could? Cell-cultured meat is now being sold in Singapore, and is coming soon everywhere else. In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by climate activist Robert Miller to discuss the promise and dilemmas of cell-cultured meat. Topics: how cultured meat works; the race to bring lab grown meat to market; justifications (animal welfare, climate change, hunger,...

“We call it an ugly fruit…the uglier it is on the outside, the more beautiful it’s going to taste on the inside.” In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Samantha Luc to talk about chocolate. Samantha is a former professional chocolate eater! She used to be the Head of Traceability and Tastings and Education at Soma Chocolatemaker. Now she is working with companies across a variety of indu...

"Our politicians aren't experts. I think that was quite evident when a man was made minister for women." Kyla and Kristen are joined by Peter Harris, post-doctoral research fellow for the Centre for Agricultural Engineering in Australia, working on the bioenergy and bio-resource recovery team. He works on projects involving a process called anaerobic digestion, which can be used to turn biowaste i...

“I’ve just googled, and a Canada goose can live to be 24 years old so. There ya go.” ”Ah. It’s further proof that meanness makes you live longer.” Kristen and Kyla examine winter boots and jackets in an attempt to answer the question: is it even possible to buy ethical winter gear? Topics: how are winter coats made, synthetic vs animal products, is there such a thing as responsible leather, how lo...

"So if you combine the estimated wealth of those 2153 billionaires, it exceeds the wealth of how many other people on the planet?" In this episode, Kyla and Kristen say goodbye to 2020 with a wrap-up quiz, featuring previous guests Brianna Botchwey , Fariya Mohiuddin , and Alexandra Sundarsingh . The group looks back at ethical consumption trends and issues from throughout the year. Website: https...

Kristen and Kyla send each other ethical gifts! Website: https://www.pullback.org/research/holiday2020 Twitter: https://twitter.com/PullbackPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pullbackpodcast/?igshid=i57wwo16tjko  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PullbackPodcast/  Pullback is produced and hosted by Kristen Pue and Kyla Hewson. Logo by Rachel Beyer and Evan Vrinten.

“The Ghost of Christmas Present’s call to action is… yikes.” In this special Christmas Carol-themed holiday episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Robert Miller to discuss ethical consumption’s past, present, and future. Kristen shares the story of Florence Kelley and the anti-sweatshop White Label Campaign; Kyla canvasses 2020 for good news (yikes); and Robert imagines alternative futures. Websi...

What do banks do with your money and how can you make it more ethical? In this episode, Kyla and Kristen talk about ethical money. Topics: ethical problems in banking and finance; environment, social, and governance campaigns targeted at banks; what is ethical finance; tips for approaching banking and finance ethically. Website: https://www.pullback.org/research/ethicalmoney Twitter: https://twitt...

"And when I say 'generational wealth' this is a Duke, right? This dude has been inheriting wealth since, as far as we know, Camelot." Kyla and Kristen are joined this week by Fariya Mohiuddin to talk about tax justice. Fariya has a masters degree in Global Affairs and works as the Senior Program Officer for the International Budget Partnership's Tax Equity Initiative. Topics: What is tax evasion a...

“We are not all cat people. I would never wear something like that – it would be a huge betrayal to my dog!” In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by Brianna Scrimshaw Botchwey to talk about exclusion, privilege, and ethical consumption. Brianna is an aspiring zero waster and Ph. D. candidate at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on sustainable development and foreign aid. Kris...

"Pumpkin pie is so good, I didn't have it until like... I think the first time I ate pumpkin pie was like two years ago? Game changer, I could not believe what I had been missing for so many years."  In this episode, Kyla and Kristen take on the spookiest day of the year by challenging themselves to find ethical Halloween solutions. Topics: costumes and cultural appropriation; sustainable costumes...

“Does that include the people who think both of them are a hoax?” In this episode, Kyla and Kristen are joined by climate activist Robert Miller. Following another Global Climate Strike, they reflect on the California wildfires and climate activism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics: West Coast wildfires; the climate movement in 2020; impact of the pandemic on climate activism; racial ju...